


a prelude to attachment.

by Moririen



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Mild Gore, Not Beta Read, Play: A Clockwork Heart (A3!), some mentions of human experimentation, some mentions of vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-13 12:54:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29651646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moririen/pseuds/Moririen
Summary: Attachment (noun)a: the state of being personally attachedb: affectionate regardThe Clockwork Heartbeat... what an interesting story..But for this titular character, how unfortunate for him to end up here...
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	a prelude to attachment.

**Author's Note:**

> Oh hi, it's my first being on AO3 and it's finally here... after chickening out from time to time. If you remember Fragments of Verisimilitude, it's kinda inspired by it but if not, this is vaguely inspired by SINoALICE storywise.
> 
> If you have read it before on my Twitter (which is on a Google Docs link) it's the exact thing. I'm still working on AO3 tags, so please bear with me, since it's my first using AO3 as a writing platform!

_**In this era, the invention of the steam engine has drastically improved the lives of many people.** _

_**The tale began in a small, back-alley workshop. There, a young man opened his eyes.** _

_**Wanting a friend, the reclusive alchemist Luke created S, a homunculus, a forbidden being. With him, he teaches him how to live as a human being, but what S cannot understand is emotions. This frustrates Luke, while S has felt something heavy on his chest for this misunderstanding.** _

_**Until one day, his teacher unexpectedly visited him, only to warn him that inventions like S are forbidden, and he must get rid of him. Because of this, prying eyes have alerted S's existence to authorities.** _

_**Luke was able to escape from almost being captured, thanks to his apprentice's quick thinking, but S wanted to protect him by letting him do one thing: remove his wind-up key and cease functioning, and only Luke can do that.** _

_**He removed S's wind-up key, up until this day, Luke is hoping that one day, he will wake him up once more.** _

\----------------------------------------

If only 'he' could see all this..

But, where am I? I haven't recalled anything before coming here.

It seems to be a huge library, filled with dust-covered books, the scent of aged paper…

But it looks different, floating bookshelves, they're everywhere. Aside from the ones surrounding it.

This doesn't make any sense. How did I even end up here? Is this all a dream?

Until suddenly, something landed on my shoulder. A talking bird? Along with him is a blue, ugly doll.

Apparently so, the doll looks like it can speak. This isn't new to me. It doesn't seem to show any features similar to a homunculus.

The bird, however, some birds can talk, right? This isn't a part of my expertise, but maybe some do.

For some reason, I can find all this perfectly normal.

Those two suddenly spoke.

_ "How unfortunate of you to end up here." _

_ "Do you perhaps wish for Attachment?" _

What..? Attachment?

"I believe you have been mistaken."

_ "You're lying, I'm sure you wanted something!" _

_ "Like, do you want to wake him up once more? That must be your wish!" _

A wish, huh? But is it a way to bring him back? 'He' was my only friend, is it even possible to do it once more, without any authorities chasing me around?

"What? I don't think I can trust the likes of you."

Those two, they must be cackling about what I said. What do they even know about 'him'?

_ "Anyway, this is the Library, where stories…" _

_ "And desires gather." _

'Library'? Obviously, it looks like one, but I didn't quite get the 'desires' part.

"And… what can I do to grant my wish?"

The bird squawked and suddenly flew away from my shoulder, slightly tilting my hat. At least it should have warned me next time, it almost startled me.

_ "Easy, all you need is sacrifices!" _

Sacrifices..? As in…

_ "Not just any sacrifices, you're claiming another Life to fulfill that!" _

Exchanging one's life for a non-human life..

…

"Then so be it."

The two cackled again.

Before I could do anything, I'm suddenly surrounded by… monsters?

Was I even armed with something, to begin with? What I didn't notice is that there's something floating beside me.

A floating orb surrounded with cogs… Looking closely, there’s a familiar wind-up key in the middle..

Just like spinning gears belonging to a machine.

_ "What are you waiting for, getting yourself killed?" _

_ "Now, kill them all!" _

I drew my weapon. Alchemy isn't even magic, to begin with. I was able to command and call more spinning gears, killing anything on sight.

They're making piercing, ticking noises.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Just like clockwork.

Spinning gears, endlessly making noise.

\----------------------------------------

It’s never-ending.

Unlike the machines that I’ve tinkered with before, this floating orb felt different to use. Like dandelion seeds in the wind, the cogs follow as well.

One of the monsters… It looks like a giant bird, but not like the bird from earlier.

Upon my command, the orb calls out gears, slithering through the thing, like snakes, tearing them apart.  Literally tearing them apart .  Severed body parts flying across the place .

Disgusting.  I feel like throwing up .

Even so, I was able to stomach this, resisting the urge to do so. Something must have distracted me.

If I remember vaguely, my teacher mentions things about  human experimentation . Alchemy can go as far as that one.

“My goodness! This precious mechanical doll is.. S! Why did you break it?”

“What are you sad about, Luke? If it's broken, can't you just fix it?”

Unlike my machines, they don’t seem to break, no matter how many times you use them.

“In spite of the risk, that doll is still something you want?”

“He's my friend. He's not a doll. Please stop talking like that, Master.”

  
  
  


It was confusing. Why can't you understand?

“Robots with artificial intelligence are illegal in this country.”

“Sir! The troops are coming! Hurry and hide S!”

“S isn't a machine. Part of him is wind-up clockwork, but he's a genuine person. But this world won't acknowledge you as human.”

...

“Master, please remove my key.”

“What are you saying? If I do that, you’ll break—”

“If I cease functioning, you will no longer be chased.”

“No…I don’t want you to break.”

“I want you to do it. Not anyone else.”

“Being created and destroyed on the whims of a human…isn’t this too cruel?”

“We’ll meet again someday. Saying goodbye makes me sad too, but when I think that we’ll meet again, I’m okay.”

If I wake him up once more, will 'he' remember me?

_ "Hey, why are you still standing there?" _

_ "There's a lot more that came from, after all!" _

Is this enough for a sacrifice? I'm still unsure of myself.

I quickly turned around and another monster came out for me.

An orc? I heard about those in stories that I've read a long time ago.

They're not so bright.

Focus.. You wished to wake 'him' up once more, right?

The orb responded to my call.

Numerous clocks, simultaneously spawning.  They let out loud, piercing noises, like a broken clock .

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.Tick.

It's letting out a deafening noise.

I flinched for a bit, looking away from what it seems to be killing the orc.

As I turned and looked back,  its head was gone, as if there were pieces of its head that had blown up .

“Is it.. all over?”

_ “Of course not!” _

_ “A small fry won’t bring him back, you know!” _

Not enough to bring ‘him’ back..

“I don’t get it, what can I do?”

The two cackled once more.

_ “There are more people like you, so you’re not so special.” _

_ “We call them play leads, or whatever.” _

‘Play leads’..? I’m aware that I’m from a play.

A story that only actors can breathe life to.

Meant to entertain people, like mindless puppets.

The leading actor on stage, standing in position zero.

“And how am I supposed to find more of them?”

_ “Easy, go look for them yourself!” _

“Eh?”

_ “Now go hunt more. You’ll get there.” _

…

In order to fulfill that wish, I’ll have to kill another..?

_ “What’s wrong?” _

_ “Are you surprised that your real target is also human?” _

“I-it’s not like that.”

Doing it for him…

In exchange for human life, is a non-human life…

Ahahah..

Even though through hell and back, I’ll definitely bring you back…

Am I a terrible friend..?

I’m not so sure…

Don’t you think so, S?

No matter what, even with the worse consequences…

I'll..

I’ll  d o a n y t h i n g t o w a k e y o u u p o n c e m o r e..

**Author's Note:**

> twt: Xeraias
> 
> I brainrot about Clockwork and other A3! plays, that's pretty much it.


End file.
